Blackhawks News

Kane named Hart Trophy winner as 2016 NHL MVP

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Chicago Blackhawks
/ Chicago Blackhawks

Kane

The National Hockey League announced tonight at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas that Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane was awarded the 2016 Hart Memorial Trophy, given annually to the player who is most valuable to his team during the regular season. Kane is the second American-born player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy, joining Billy Burch who won the award in 1925—the second year of its existence. Also tonight, Kane picked up the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the most outstanding player as selected by the National Hockey League Players Association.

Kane is the first Chicago Blackhawks player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy since forward Stan Mikita won his second of two straight such awards in 1968. Before Mikita’s two straight wins, forward Bobby Hull won the Hart Trophy two straight years in 1965 and 1966. Forward Max Bentley was the first Blackhawks player to win the Hart Trophy, taking home the award in 1946. Goalie Al Rollins won the award in 1954. This marks the first time a Chicago Blackhawks player won the Ted Lindsay Award and Kane is the first American-born winner.

The Buffalo native recorded career highs in goals (46) and assists (60) while skating in all 82 games of his ninth NHL season. His record-setting season included a franchise-best 26-game point streak (16G, 24A) from Oct. 17-Dec. 13. It was the longest streak by an American-born player, surpassing 18-game streaks by Eddie Olczyk (1989-90) and Phil Kessel (2008-09).

At the conclusion of the regular season, Kane won the 2016 Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer, finishing the 2015-16 regular season with a career-high 106 points. It marked the first time in NHL history that a player born in the United States led the league in scoring. His 106 points are the most by a Blackhawks player since Jeremy Roenick scored 107 in 1993-94 and the 8th-most by a player in a season in franchise history.

Kane, 27, also enjoyed a career-best seven-game goal streak from Nov. 2-15. The 2015-16 campaign saw him log 27 multi-point games and his first two regular-season hat tricks (Jan. 15 at TOR and April 3 vs. BOS).

A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Kane finished the 2015-16 regular season among Blackhawks franchise leaders in points (6th, 663), assists (6th, 412) and goals (T-10th, 251). The first-overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, he has played 658 career games, all with Chicago. In addition to being a five-time NHL All-Star, Kane won the 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy, the 2008 Calder Memorial Trophy and a silver medal with Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The Hart Memorial Trophy was presented by the NHL in 1960 after the original Hart Trophy was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The original Hart Trophy was donated to the NHL in 1924 by Dr. David A. Hart, father of Cecil Hart, former manager-coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Hart Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.